Hey, Flotrack readers! My name is Tony Casey and I go to SUNY Plattsburgh in upstate New York. I ran XC all through high school, making it to the New York State Championships twice. I was also a Section 7 indoor champion in the high jump. I started getting into the results and the history of running so I would have something to talk to my coaches about. Now I just do open races for fun. Every Friday I will be posting an interview with a Division I XC/Track and Field athlete. This first one is with fellow New Yorker Lopez Lomong, a guy I've luckily been able to watch run many times. He's legitimately the nicest person I've ever met and I think you'll be able to get that after reading this interview. I hope you enjoy and continue using this revolutionary website for everything it has to offer!
Lopez Lomong KWIK-E By Tony Casey

Northern Arizona Lumberjack Lopez Lomong is the reigning NCAA 1500m champion and Indoor 3k champion. He is a strong candidate for the individual NCAA Championship in Cross Country this fall.

Can you tell me about meeting your parents/relatives, this summer, when you went back to the Sudan?

It was breathtaking. First off, I have to thank HBO for giving me this opportunity. It was nice going back there and seeing that everyone was looking out for me. I went there and took two weeks off; I got settled and didn't do any running. The people over there, they don't take anything for granted. They live in a one-room place with bad sanitation. Down the line in my career I'd like to have enough money where I could make sure that my little brothers went to good schools.

Back here in the States, what kind of training did you do?

Really not too much. I did a lot of slow, long runs. When USAs came around I wasn't prepared. With my pending citizenship, I really didn't know if I would make it. I wasn't well prepared at all. I was up in New York, heard the good news and hopped on a plane to Indianapolis. I think I ran O.K.

What kinds of team goals do you and the guys at Northern Arizona have this year?

Nationals. The guys are really fired up about missing nationals last year. I'm very optimistic about our chances. We have a much deeper team, our freshman class is solid, and we have three freshmen that are very good. Coach Heins has everyone working hard and everyone is ready to step up. I expect big stuff!

What kind of individual goals do you have for this year?

I've been getting in the mindset of going there and running to make me more comfortable at the big races. I just want to go to NCAAs and work my way up and finish as high as I can. On November 19th, I want to battle for the title and when I finish that race, I want to be dead. I don't want to get done and walk around because that would mean I didn't put everything I could into the course. I'm going to run Roy Griak before Pre Nationals. After that I'm going to come back for Conferences, then Regionals, then the big race. Aside from running, I want to do something big! Like go back to Africa, specifically the Sudan, and be able to help out with books, schools, and clinics (things we take for granted here). People die of Malaria over here and it's sad because it's something we can treat. I would also really like to put a track in and have people train there. I know we Sudanese people are the most talented. The Kenyans, they run well because they have all the resources and the people who are already up there. I have Alan Webb and Bernard Lagat to look up to. But the Sudanese people, they don't have anyone.

An Olympic year is coming up, which event are you looking at going for?

I'm going to see how cross country and my training go. I'm not sure if I want to go for the 800m or the 1500m. This year I also want to run a fast 5K, maybe at Mt. SAC. I need a good 5K under my belt. I enjoy the longer stuff too. I don't have the mark yet in that event. It's good to have a variety of choices. It's like going to the store to buy water, and only having to buy Aquafina. It's good to have options going towards the Trials. I try to tell my colleagues out there "you don't have to choose one event."

How do you handle the ups and downs of running?

I don't take downs as something that would ever make me stop running; I look at it like I didn't stick to the plan of how I was supposed to race. Like at the USAs in the 800m, I was basically last at 600m and that was my fault. I was racing with the big guys and I needed to be up there battling. I try to keep my head up and realize that I'll have another chance to improve. I don't talk trash; I like to learn from other runners. I like when people come up to me and say, "Lopez, you did well!" I do the same for my competitors. I shake their hands and make friendships this way. This is a good sport we have.

Other than your team, do you have any other runners that you train with?

Well, Abdi Abdiraham is out here. I run with him. He's a good guy for me to run with because he likes to go at a long, steady pace. I can usually stay with him for 15-16 miles while he goes 21 or so. I learn a lot about consistency from him. A lot of post collegiate guys come here to run and train. I have a lot of friends to run with!

What kind of diet do you have?

I basically eat everything, but every other week I make my traditional food. I prepare this food for my whole team, they come over to my place, and we eat and have fun. It's a good thing for the team-building process. It's good for the freshman to realize they are just as important as the upperclassmen. We don't really talk about running. We play games and things, it takes away the pressure.